


Consequences, Revised Version

by danke_rose



Series: After AoX [1]
Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Dubious Consent, F/M, Mind Control, Pregnancy Scare, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:42:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26866111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danke_rose/pseuds/danke_rose
Summary: This is the same as Consequences; it takes place during and post Age of X-Man.  Brian and Maggie find a way to bring Meggan back to their family in the wake of Nate Grey's AoX. Meggan, Kurt, and the others deal with the consequences of Nate's manipulations.
Relationships: Brian Braddock/Meggan Puceanu
Series: After AoX [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959940
Comments: 14
Kudos: 2





	Consequences, Revised Version

**Author's Note:**

> I realized when re-reading Consequences, that what starts off as a story about Brian, Maggie, and Meggan, immediately switches to Kitty's perspective the moment she shows up. Sorry about that! They're the ones I usually write. So I edited this and while the story remains essentially the same, it's written--hopefully--from Brian and Meggan's perspectives once Meggan returns to the 616. 
> 
> Edit: I totally revised this some more. Still the same story though.
> 
> **This contains elements of non-consensual relationships and the possibility of pregnancy.**
> 
> Is Moira dead? I don't know. For this fic, she's alive. Where's Douglock? Does he exist? I don't know. For this fic, he exists and lives at Moira's. I have no idea how the canon version of AoX started, or how it ends and frankly, I don't care. I don't like what I've seen of it, and this fic addresses why. If you enjoyed AoX and particularly its Nightcrawler solo, you probably won't like this fic. If you didn't like Meggan being torn away from her family, then read on my friends. Blame bad translation on google.

Meggan laughed as she and Maggie played dominoes on the floor of the lighthouse. Her daughter was the most wonderful thing she'd ever made, and she delighted in every new discovery she made. Maggie was advanced far beyond any of her toddler peers, a result of mutant genes, everyone said. Maggie giggled as she won the game, as she did every time she won the game. Meggan didn't care if she won or lost, she was simply happy. Brian joined them, squatting on the floor to rumple Maggie's hair and kiss his wife.

Marrying Meggan was the smartest thing he'd ever done. He'd come close to losing her a few times, because of his own foolishness, but by some absolute miracle, this charming, gentle woman loved him still. He kissed her again, thinking as he often did how easily he could have lost her.

“Da- _ad_ ,” Maggie complained, “Mom and I are playing. Can't you do that later?”

“No, Maggie. I love your mom and I'll kiss her whenever she lets me.” He kissed Meggan's cheek and then her lips again, a playful, noisy pucker that made Maggie grimace, and then laugh.

“You can kiss me anytime, Brian. Unless you've left your beard trimmings for me to clean up again,” Meggan said. She gave a light tug to her husband's beard.

“I just got off the phone with Jean. She said there have been some odd developments Stateside lately, and to keep our eyes open here.” He stood and rubbed his neck, glancing quickly at Maggie. She was so smart, he had to be careful what he discussed in front of her.

“What kinds of odd things?” Meggan stood, scooped Maggie into her arms, and held her close.

Maggie squirmed. “You're squishing me, Mom.”

“Sorry, darling. Go on, Brian.”

“Apparently there's been a huge battle of some kind, and now X-Men are disappearing without explanation.”

“No!”

Brian touched his wife's shoulder and kissed her forehead, then leaned in close to her ear to whisper. He hoped Maggie wouldn't hear.

“Kitty's missing. So are Kurt and Piotr. And Betsy.”

Meggan put a hand to her throat, eyes wide with fear and worry for their former teammates. “Oh!” She stroked Maggie's blond head. Kurt and Kitty were two of her daughter's three godparents, and of course Betsy was her aunt. Brian's twin sister.

“If anyone can get them back, it's the X-Men. Don't worry—Meggan?” Meggan began to shimmer, like light shining through a stained glass window. Brian snatched Maggie from her arms as she slowly disappeared in front of their eyes.

“Meggan? Meggan!” He reached for the space where she'd been, finding nothing at all.

“Mommy? Where'd Mom go, Dad?”

“I don't know, Maggie. I don't know. Let me...let me call Jean back. Maybe she'll know something.”

The phone rang. And rang. And rang. No one picked up. There was no one left to answer.

  
  


Days passed where Brian felt sick with worry. Maggie asked for her mother every morning when Brian lifted her from her crib. “Is Mom back yet? When is Mommy coming home?”

He didn't know what to say to her, and he hated it. He wanted to give Maggie answers, to assure her that her mother would return, but the truth was, he was terrified that Meggan was really gone. He arranged to fly to New York and find out what he could, but the trip brought no answers. Everyone had just... _vanished_.

They returned to England, where Brian tried to keep things as normal as he could for Maggie, but without her mother, nothing was quite the same. After the first week, he decided that sitting around hoping for something to happen wasn't getting him anywhere. He moved himself and Maggie into Braddock Manor and took her down to his old workshop.

“Okay, Maggorie-poo, we are going to build something that will find Mommy and the X-Men for us. Can you help Daddy?”

“Of course. Where's the flux capacitor?”

“The what, sweetie?”

“I'm kidding, Dad.”

Days merged into weeks, but Maggie declared they were getting closer every day. Brian wanted to hope, but his heart was breaking and he had trouble concentrating sometimes. He hired someone to make meals for the two of them. Whenever he went to the kitchen he froze, staring at the places Meggan had once stood. He'd stood with his hand on a pot holder for almost fifteen minutes one night, and that had been the moment he decided to hire a cook. For dinner that night, he'd ordered a meal to be delivered, and spent the meal recounting to Maggie the time Excalibur worked a train wreck overnight. They'd returned to their lighthouse home exhausted, all but Meggan. She'd made eggs and toast for all of them, the only one with energy, still smiling and happy. God, he missed her.

The days developed into a routine. Breakfast, play with Maggie, work for a couple hours. Maggie napped after lunch while Brian searched online for information or worked in the shop alone. In the afternoon, he tried to take Maggie for a walk or play with her outside if the weather permitted. Some days he couldn't muster up the energy to do it, and Maggie would sit in his lap and cuddle while he stared at the television screen, because it was something Meggan would have done.

A few months into their work, Maggie stumbled on something promising. She and Brian worked frantically after that, forgoing their established routine to work almost all day in the shop completing the device. At last it was finished. Time to test it. If it worked, it would locate anyone who had gone missing, if they were located in any of the worlds in the multiverse or beyond. If they _existed_ , it should find them.

Brian hadn't considered all the doppelgangers and had to shut it down almost immediately. His excitement at the prospect of bringing Meggan home had affected his judgment, but the device worked, and that was the important thing. Now they knew they needed specific calibrations for the people they were seeking. Luckily, they had some of that data right there in Britain. He and Maggie flew out to see Moira MacTaggart.

She still had tons of data stored on all the X-Men. Moira had a hard time letting go of things, and she'd run plenty of tests on all of them while they lived with her at the Research Center on Muir Island. Anytime they got sick or injured, she took readings and she had saved it all. At the time, he'd found the practice a bit obsessive, even for a doctor, but now he was only grateful.

He remembered when a group attacked the station, trying to get their hands on the DNA of her late son, Kevin, the mutant Proteus. Brian had never understood why she kept that, knowing how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands, until now. Now that he had Maggie, he understood exactly why she would want to hold on to anything of her son's. Brian held Maggie close as he talked to Moira about what the two of them had been building.

“And it works?” Moira said, turning the device over in her hands and inspecting it. “And Maggie did this?”

“We did it together. Me and Dad.”

“This is incredible. Well done, Maggie.” Moira smiled and patted Maggie's head. Maggie leaned her head against her father's chest and closed her eyes. For all her genius, she was still barely a toddler, and she tired quickly. Brian hoped she'd still be little when Meggan got home. She was already struggling with how fast the child was growing up. Missing more months of her childhood would only make that struggle more difficult.

“We need some data you have here,” Brian said, “The device works, but it locates every doppelganger across the multiverse, and we are only looking for our people. Can you help?”

If they had to sort through every version of Meggan across the Multiverse, they might never get her home. Excalibur had only managed to return from their months-long stint across dimensions because Roma had intervened and sent them back. The Multiverse was vast, the number of doppelgangers likely infinite. It made Brian's chest ache with fear.

“Of course,” Moira said. “Follow me.”

With Moira's help, Brian began to reconfigure the device. Being at Muir was a relief, and being around another person who shared the need to find their friends was something he hadn't realized he needed. He should have gone to see Moira sooner. With additional help from their old friend Douglock, they could potentially have her home in a few days. Have all of their friends home.

Having help also meant he could spend more time with Maggie and not feel guilty about the other work he should be doing. They all shared the job of playing with her and soothing her worries. Maggie, for her part, seemed confident they would get everyone back, and Everything Would Be Okay.

At last, the device was ready to be tested. Brian and Moira connected it to her computer and the results displayed across a monitor.

There they were.

All the X-Men and Meggan were living in some kind of false utopia. Love of any kind was forbidden, according to the signs he could see plastered around the city, and yet it triumphed again and again. He watched people being arrested for kissing, for holding hands. He saw a pregnant woman chained up in the basement of an office that purported to be the peacekeepers of that world. Some of the X-Men were in jail. Some were being used as the aforementioned police force, hunting down offending mutants and wiping their memories of love and family. And there was Meggan, alive and well and happy. And she was so beautiful, he wanted to drown in the sheer truth of her existence. She was on a movie set, and his first panicked thought was of Mojo. But closer inspection showed she was working as an actress alongside Kurt at what appeared to be a legitimate studio. Whatever was going on in this world, however their minds had been altered, she was alive and safe. Relief filled him, because she was with Kurt, and Kurt was her friend. He would keep her safe. Then the scene shifted and Brian realized what had happened between them. As old, jealous fears were realized, angry tears fell across his cheeks.

“None of them know what they're doing, Brian,” Moira reminded him. “Nate Grey has wiped their memories and manipulated their desires.” Moira tapped a few keys and the image changed again.

“I appreciate the thought, Moira, but it doesn't make it any easier. You weren't with us when he flirted with her constantly. When she used to turn to _him_ instead of _me_.”

It was his own fault she'd turned to Kurt for comfort, but it still hurt. The way he'd treated Meggan in the early days of Excalibur was a source of intense shame and guilt. She should have left him, he knew that. But for some reason, she'd stayed, perhaps her empathic powers helped her see that he had the potential to be a better man than he was. Whatever the reason, she had stayed, and he'd spend the rest of his life trying to be a man worth of her love and devotion. He took a few steadying breaths, clicked through some of the scenes playing out, other friends, those in jail and those being hunted. He found Betsy, and another bout of relief filled him. Kitty was there, too, and Piotr. He focused on his sister and his friends for a few minutes, until he could think more clearly. Then he turned to Moira.

“All right. I'm ready to do this. Maggie needs her mother, and I need my wife. Let's get them back.”

  
  


“What do we do with them once they're back here?” Brian asked Moira while Douglock was entertaining Maggie in the other room. She was scrolling through his memory bank of languages for fun.

“It depends on how they arrive, I suppose,” Moira said. “If their memories are restored simply by removing them from that universe, they'll probably just want counseling. If their memories don't restore, they'll probably fight us. We should keep inhibitor tech nearby.”

Brian felt sick at the thought of putting a collar on his wife, but Moira was right. If they did return without their memories, they'd see the rescue as an act of aggression, and they would fight. Brian wouldn't fight back, but even if he did, Meggan was far more powerful than he was.

“Perhaps we should only bring back one at a time,” Brian said. “To test it that way.”

“I think that's wise, Brian,” Moira agreed with a wry smile. “Shall we start with your wife?”

“Please. Yes.”

“Let's get everything prepared then. I have collars in the basement.”

Brian and Moira assembled the collars and a few weapons—just in case—and instructed Douglock to keep Maggie in the other room. If her mother didn't remember her, or was aggressive, he didn't want Maggie to see it. In fact...

“Douglock, would you please take my daughter up to the house? Maggie, go with Douglock and play in the house. Dr. MacTaggart and I have to do some dangerous tests.”

“ _Non, tu es sur le point de ramener maman à la maison et tu ne veux pas de moi pour pouvoir l'embrasser_.”

“What?”

Douglock translated for them. “She said, 'No, you're bringing Mom home and do not want me here, so you can kiss her.'”

Brian actually chuckled. “Uh, well, yes, partly so, Maggie. But it's still _dangerous_ , and Daddy says go with Douglock. I promise to get you when Mommy comes home.” He kissed his daughter's head and hugged her before handing her back to Douglock.

Maggie hugged him and said, “ _Okay, Papa, aber du sagst mir besser die Wahrheit 1_.”

“Won't your Uncle Kurt be proud of you when he gets back,” Brian said, his heart squeezing in pain even at the thought of Kurt being around his daughter.

“She said—”

“It's fine, Douglock. I got the idea. Please take her now.”

Once Maggie was up at the house, Brian dropped into a chair and put his head in his hands. “How _could_ they? How could Meggan just forget us? Forget _Maggie_? Think that...that _other_ _child_ is hers?”

“They've had their brains mucked about with, Brian. We'll set it right, one way or another. Are you ready to try?”

“I...I don't _know_.” He shook his head in pain. “How do I know this isn't what she's always wanted? She used to hang all over Kurt. He _dreamed_ about her.”

“And you broke his leg over it. But Brian, she didn't marry him, did she?” Moira replied.

“No, but...”

“And he didn't pursue her, did he?”

“No, but...”

“Brian, listen to me. I've loved and lost in my day, plenty. That girl loves _you_. She doesn't love Kurt, and he doesn't love her. I happen to know _that_ bit for a fact.”

Brian lifted his head. “How so?”

“He and I had a talk once. Before they went back to the States. Trust me, he doesn't love your wife. His heart lies with another.”

“Amanda.”

“No. Let's focus now. It's time to get your wife back.”

“What about that child? The blue one she thinks is hers?”

“She isn't real. She is a figment of their imaginations. See?” Moira pointed to the data and where the child should have been, there was nothing but a blank screen. “She doesn't exist. They haven't been gone long enough for her to exist.”

“All right. Let's do this, doctor.”

Brian pressed the button, and on the screen, Meggan vanished.

“Where is she?” he cried, panicking when she didn't immediately appear on the medical cot.

“Wait—give it time,” Moira said, crossing her fingers where Brian couldn't see them.

Seconds ticked by as Brian's anxiety built, until at last a form began to appear on the cot. Meggan, sleeping as she had been in the other world. Brian quickly clasped the collar around her neck in case she fought. She woke when he touched her, and looked around in total confusion.

“Who are you? Where am I? Where is Tenia? _What have you done with my daughter_?” She was shrieking by the end, and Brian was crying, trying to hold onto Meggan's arm as she thrashed on the cot, her eyes wild with fear and fury.

“Meggan...Meggan, please, it's me, it's Brian, your husband. Try to remember, _please_!”

She yanked her arm away and scrambled to the other side of the room. “Why can't I fly? What have you done to me? _Where is Tenia_?”

Brian whirled to face Moira, hands held out in a plea for help. “What do we do now?”

Moira pasted a smile on her face and took a brave step forward, hand extended professionally. “Meggan, my name is Dr. Moira MacTaggart. I work for, uh, your leader. Nate Grey.”

Meggan remained at the wall, watching both of them warily. “Why hasn't he mentioned you?”

“I work in covert operations, keeping the peace,” Moira improvised. “He asked me to bring you here to, uh, help some others.”

Meggan seemed to be relaxing, though her eyes narrowed with lingering suspicion. She nodded her chin at Brian. “Then why did _that man_ put this collar on me?”

“We need to keep all powers inhibited in this research center or they, um, interact with the programs and give us false results.”

“I don't trust you.”

“I understand. Would you come with me for a while? I just want to ask you some questions.”

Meggan hesitated, eyes still flickering back and forth between Brian and Moira. If there was any spark of recognition in her, it didn't show in her face. Brian's heart, already ravaged by fear and worry, shattered in his chest. Tears continued to stream down his face, dripping off his chin. He didn't bother to wipe them away.

Meggan reluctantly went with Moira to the outer room while Brian put his head down and sobbed. Nate Grey had done this, taken his wife away and warped her. He'd stripped her memories of her family from her and made her think she was someone else. Nate Grey had destroyed their lives, and likely many others as well. Brian lifted his head, a new intensity of purpose fueling him. He flicked through the screens again, searching for the man responsible. There he was, Nate Grey. In a rash move reminiscent of Brian's early days in Excalibur when Roma had placed a blunder curse on him, he pressed the button and brought Nate into the lab.

Brian was quick, and got the collar on him before he could use his substantial powers. But Nate knew exactly what had happened and he was angry. “You fool. You will destroy everything! Love is pain! Only with me can they be happy.”

Brian held him by the collar, shaking him once. “No! _You're_ the fool. Love may hurt, but it's also what makes life worth living. Your utopia is nothing but hell. You've taken my _wife_ from me, a mother from her daughter. And now _you're going to pay_.”

Brian was about to deliver a deadly blow to Nate, who stood without flinching, when Meggan returned with Moira. Brian hesitated when she screamed.

“No, don't hurt him! You awful man, stop it!” Meggan dived between Brian and Nate. “He gave us peace!”

All the bluster went out of him in a rush of need to hold her. He didn't need to kill Nate, he only needed his wife to remember him, to love him again. The pain of having her so close, but unable to recognize him was overwhelming.

“No he didn't. Listen to me,” Brian pleaded. “He took you _away_ from your family.”

“ _You_ took me from my family! You took me away from my daughter!”

“Meggan, your daughter—your _real_ daughter Maggie—is up in that house wondering when her mother is going to come back to her. Tenia isn't real. She doesn't _exist_. She's not yours.”

“No, she's _mine_! Mine and Kurt's!”

“No, she isn't,” Brian said, tears springing again to his eyes. “She _isn't_ , she isn't real.”

Meggan stopped yelling. Even with the collar on, her empathy—more than a superpower—told her this man she did not know was hurting. Whatever he had done, he'd done it for his child.

“Your wife is missing?” Meggan said, and Brian lifted hopeful eyes at the familiar gentleness in her voice.

“My wife is right here, but she doesn't remember me.”

“I'm not your wife,” Meggan insisted.

“Yes, you are,” Nate said, shocking everyone. During their heated discussion, Brian hadn't noticed Moira moving around the lab. She twirled a syringe in her hand, proudly smiling.

“Don't worry, it's only a wee truth serum,” she said when Brian and Meggan stared. “It was just an idea that came to me.”

“What are you...what?” Meggan turned to Nate, taking him by the arms. “What did you say?”

“You're his wife. You have a daughter together named Maggie. My world, the world you were living in, it isn't real. I created it to make peace, but it failed. Love isn't the cause of war.”

“Nate, no, what about Hope's sacrifice? What about people all becoming mutants?”

“None of those things happened. I took you from your home. I created Utopia. It isn't real.”

Meggan shook her head in disbelief, then anger. “No, no, _she_ did something to you.” Meggan started to move towards Moira, but Nate stopped her before Brian could reach her.

“Stop, Meggan. Listen to me. When they remove my collar, I will bring all your friends home, and I will restore your memories. Then you will see.”

Meggan's lip trembled and she continued to clutch Nate's arm, shaking her head. While Nate tried to reassure her that all would be well in the end, Brian conferred with Moira.

“Can we trust him?”

“No. But do we have much choice?”

“How long will that serum last?” Brian said, nodding his head at the empty syringe dangling from her fingers.

“Och, quite a while. I gave him a mighty big dose.”

“Then let's do this now.”

Brian stepped towards Nate to remove the collar. “If you try anything...”

“I won't.” He held out his hands in a peaceful gesture.

Brian hesitated. “Wait. Moira, I don't trust him. We need a way to protect ourselves. Do you still have some of those anti-psi helmets?”

“Aye, just there,” she said, pointing to the stash of things they'd brought up from the basement. Brian grabbed one, and tossed the other to Moira. “He controlled everyone in that world. D'you really think these will help?”

“It's all we have.” He hated placing his trust in technology he didn't understand, and a man he didn't like. But to get Meggan back, he'd risk almost anything. He sent up a little prayer to whoever might be listening, that Maggie would be left alone and kept safe, then he removed the inhibitor collar from Nate's neck.

It was done. Nate was free. For a moment his eyes gleamed with unnatural light, and Brian feared the worst. Nate raised his hands and closed his eyes, and Meggan collapsed.

“You _bastard_! What did you do?” Brian cried, leaping for his wife. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head and feeling for a pulse.

“Brian...” Moira said, fixated on the screen. One by one, their friends began to disappear from the false world, their data going out like a dying star vanishing from the heavens. “He's bringing the rest of them home. We're gonna need some backup.”

All around the facility, X-Men appeared, unconscious on the floor, slumped over each other in heaps. But Brian was focused on Meggan. She slowly blinked and opened her eyes.

“Brian?” she said, and he hauled her against him, crying again as he pulled the collar off and dumped it on the ground. He buried his face in her hair and sobbed her name over and over, unable to control his relief and joy at having her home and in his arms and safe.

“They're all home,” Moira said, but Brian wasn't listening. “Nate, you'll have to wear this again, lad. I'm afraid we can't trust you once that serum wears off.”

“I understand,” he said, submitting to Moira placing the collar around his neck again. He was so docile, it was easy to forget what horror he had wrought on so many.

“You've done a terrible thing, Nate. D'you understand?” Moira stood in front of him, hands in the pockets of her labcoat. “You took these people from their homes, their families, their lives, because you thought you had all the answers. You see now, I hope? You don't get to choose people's lives for them.”

“Yes. Do what you must with me.”

“We certainly don't intend to kill you. But we can't trust you. You'll have to spend some time in solitary while I confer with the others, once they're feeling better. Perhaps I could even argue in favor of having you work here with me, where you can do _real_ good for mutantkind. There are plenty of threats in the world that we could use a mind like yours actively working against.”

“I could do that.”

“All right. First we have to help all these people wake up. Some of them are gonna be in a right bad way.” She glanced across the room at Meggan weeping in Brian's arms.

Nate started towards Meggan, but when she saw him, fury took over her grief and shame. “YOU! You did this to me!” she screamed, and only Brian's powerful grip held her back.

“Love, don't. You're home, let's go see Maggie.”

She turned back to him, tears streaming down her face, and pulled away. “No! No I _can't_. Not after what I did! I don't deserve her!”

“That wasn't you, Meggan. That was never you. It isn't your fault, and I love you. Maggie loves you, and she needs her mother.” Brian held out his arms to her, waiting patiently for her to accept his love. “You forgave me every failure, every mistake. Please, Meggan, _I_ need you.”

Meggan wiped at her tears and threw herself back into Brian's arms.

“I was a fool for so many years, Meg. I won't make that mistake again, not ever.” He stroked her hair. “Shall we go see Maggie? Wait til you hear how she helped.”

“Oh, yes, Brian. Where is she? Where is my baby, my Maggie?”

  
  


Up at the house, Maggie had already announced that the X-Men were all home. She could see them scattered on the heather around the Research Building. Douglock stood at the window beside her, watching the disoriented people wake up. Maggie squealed when she saw Brian and Meggan coming towards the house.

At the sound, Douglock remarked, “Your mother has returned.”

“Take me to the door!” Maggie shrieked, patting Douglock's arm in impatience. She clapped her hands when Douglock finally opened the door and she could see her parents coming up the walk to Moira's house.

Meggan saw her and flew the last steps as Maggie began to cry, arms stretched out to her mother. Meggan scooped her into her arms, spinning and cradling Maggie to her cheek.

“Maggie, oh, Maggie, you got so big my darling! I missed you so much, I love you, Maggie!”

Brian stood back until Meggan reached to pull him into the family embrace. He put his arms around both of them, his heart full and finally at peace again. “I love you Meggan, and I love you, Maggie, my sweet girl. You saved everyone.”

  
  


Back in the research building, the rest of the X-Men were waking up disoriented and confused, a few in shock. Piotr Rasputin was surprised to find he hadn't lost half of his left arm after all. He kept moving it, flexing his fingers and twisting the limb this way and that. He extended it, and realized he appeared to be reaching for Kitty, across the room. She came over to him, looking washed out and worried, but otherwise all right.

“Hey Piotr.”

“Hello, Katya.”

“Can we talk?”

“Always.”

“Piotr, I...I don't love you.”

“I know, Katya. It is all right. The memories we saw there were from long ago.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It is not your fault. Nate Grey made us do things we did not want to do. He made us remember the wrong things.”

“I think we got off easy, though. Look,” she said, pointing at Kurt across the room, and Jubilee, crying softly in one of Moira's computer chairs. “And Meggan. Did you see her?”

“I did. She was distraught. My heart hurts for her.”

“I think she had it worst of all. Nate stole her away from her family and tried to give her a fake one.”

“Moira is bringing in Cecelia Reyes to help with counseling.”

“Thank god. We're all gonna need it after this mess.” Kitty put a gentle hand on Piotr's arm. “Do you think...do you think you and I will ever be friends again?”

“Perhaps some day, Katya. But not right now.”

“I understand. You take care, Petey.”

  
  


When Maggie had calmed down, and Meggan was better, the Braddock family sat together on Moira's couch, arms around each other, trying to make sense of it all. Meggan's memories filled her with guilt and revulsion, and she didn't want to discuss them with Maggie there. But Maggie wouldn't be put off.

“But where did you _go_ , Mom?” Maggie squirmed in her mother's arms, holding her a bit too tightly. “You disappeared and we found you, but where _were_ you?”

Meggan sniffled and glanced at Brian before answering. “A...a man was trying to help some people but he messed up. He hurt them instead.”

“Is that where you were? Fighting that bad man?”

“I...I was there, yes...”

“Mommy was in another dimension, Maggie,” Brian offered.

“You tried to fight that man? The man who hurt people? Were you all by yourself?”

Maggie was so little, her intelligence made it difficult to know what to share with her sometimes. Meggan decided it would be best, for the time being, to let Maggie believe her mother had been a hero, fighting for good, not a mind-controlled woman who believed an imaginary child was her own.

“No. I had some...friends there.”

Brian stiffened, but said nothing. Maggie's eyelids finally began to droop as she grew sleepy in the comfort of her parents' arms. She'd missed her usual naptime, waiting for her mother to return. When she fell asleep, they laid her on a pile of blankets on the floor and embraced on the couch. Brian wanted to kiss her, but she turned away, hiding her face in her hands.

“Oh, Brian, I've done something terrible. How can you stand to even look at me?”

“Meggan, you are the love of my life. I've done more than my fair share of awful things, and I did many of them with full knowledge of what I was doing. You still forgave me. Nothing—nothing—can change how I feel about you.” His eyes watered. “I missed you so much.”

He pulled her to his chest, kissing her hair until she lifted her face to him. Slowly he brought his lips to hers and kissed her with every ounce of love he had for her. He wiped her tears with his thumb and kissed them away, too.

“Maggie was amazing. She's so clever,” Brian said, explaining how he and their daughter had created the means for bringing everyone home. “She discovered the most important part of the device. Without her...I'd still be searching.”

“There was another little girl,” Meggan said quietly. “People there told me she was mine. But she wasn't. She wasn't even real. How could someone do that? How could I forget my own daughter, and believe some figment of a man's imagination was mine?” Meggan began crying again, and Brian stifled the rage he felt at Nate Grey for what he'd done to his family. To his wife and child. If Brian were a vindictive man, nothing Moira did would have saved Nate Grey. But Meggan made him stronger, and he only held her closer, vowing to do whatever it took to help her through her recovery.

“He was powerful, and determined to make that world be what he wanted.”

Meggan swallowed. “Brian? Are you going to hurt him?”

It was like she'd read his mind. He sighed. “No. As much as I hate him for what he's done to us, I can't become that kind of man. Moira will deal with him.”

“Not Nate,” Meggan said quietly. “Kurt.”

That was different. Kurt was a friend, a former teammate, and the godfather of their daughter. Brian had attacked him once, in a fit of jealous rage, breaking Kurt's femur. If not for Meggan's intervention, he might have done more. One more thing for Brian to be ashamed of. In Nate's world, Kurt had become Meggan's lover. He'd been manipulated into the situation the same as Meggan. Brian had seen footage of Kurt refusing to believe the world wasn't real. He'd also seen footage of Kurt sacrificing his memories and his freedom so that Meggan could leave to be with the false child. Tenia. He wrinkled his nose at the name. Tenia was some kind of worm, if memory served him correctly from his days in the biology lab. Brian leaned down and kissed Meggan's lips again.

“No. He was manipulated as much as you were.” Brian stroked her hair, pulling her impossibly closer. He couldn't touch her enough, hold her close enough. He never wanted to let go of her again. “Do you love him?”

“Oh, _no_ , Brian. I love you. I've always loved you.” She hugged him, arms tight around his massive chest, tight enough to hurt. He welcomed it, the pressure of her arms, willing him to know the truth of her words.

“Even in years past, it was never Kurt. It was always you. Only you.”

“I've always loved you, Meggan. I always will. I'm not going to hurt anyone. We've all been hurt enough.”

  
  


Brian and Meggan returned to the group when Maggie woke from her painfully short nap. Moira was doing physical check-ups on anyone who requested one, and Douglock was delivering tea and coffee. Moira glanced up, but didn't stop what she was doing. Brian nodded at her, and headed over to where Kurt was slumped in a corner with his head in his hands. He was staring at the ground and didn't look up when they approached.

Maggie assumed he was there to play with her, and squirmed in Meggan's arms to get down. “Uncle Kurt!”

He looked up then, started to reach for Maggie, then stopped. “Meggan, Brian, I...I am so sorry for what happened. I don't—I don't know how to—” His voice caught, and he put his head in his hands again. Meggan shushed Maggie when she began to whine to get down.

“Kurt,” Brian said, his voice firm and commanding. “We don't blame you. _I_ don't blame you.”

Kurt shook his head. “That is...generous of you. If only I could be so forgiving of myself.”

“Don't be sad, Uncle Kurt,” Maggie said, still annoyed that her mother wouldn't hand her over to him. “Everyone came home.”

Kurt offered her a weak smile. “I heard you helped, little one. I am so proud of you.”

Meggan crouched in front of him, still holding Maggie. “Whatever happens next, you've always been a friend, and that hasn't changed. It isn't going to change.”

Kurt nodded, looking over their shoulders when he raised his head. Brian turned to see Cecelia Reyes approaching. Perfect timing.

“Kurt, could you come with me?” she said.

He left with the doctor, and Brian took a moment to survey the room. He saw Laura and Gabby Kinney clinging to one another, a haunted look in Laura's eyes. Ororo had gone home to be among her plants, probably dead now. Jean was outside, neither Hank nor Bishop with her. Jubilee was in another corner rocking Shogo gently and crying. Dr. Reyes had brought him with her from the States.

The doctors were going to be working with this group for a while.

  
  


Moira met with Brian and Meggan in their home two days later to address a number of issues, and advise Meggan of her options should she be pregnant. When she mentioned it, Meggan's face blanched and her mouth dropped. Brian, too, felt his blood freeze in his veins. Neither of them had considered that possibility. Meggan broke down again.

“What have I done?” she wept as Brian tried to comfort her. “Oh no, oh no, no, no.”

“Meggan, there are plenty of options, should you be pregnant,” Moira said, talking calmly over Meggan's tears. “The choice is yours, and I'm here for you. Dr. Reyes is bringing in a counselor, too. I'll make sure she sees you.”

Moira looked at Brian questioningly. Brian shook his head.

“This is Nate Grey's fault alone, Moira. No one else's,” Brian said, and Moira nodded. “Why don't we ask Kitty to come over? It would be good for you to have a friend.”

At first, Meggan didn't want to see anyone. But as Moira and Brian talked, she came around to the idea of it, finally agreeing.

Kitty's life there hadn't been as bad as some others. She'd lost her past and her heritage, been in a sort of prison as well, but what had happened to Meggan and Kurt and some of the others was far worse. It made her a good choice for a friend, someone who understood the implications of what had happened, but who was not so traumatized that she couldn't help. Moira had already asked her to assist with some of the others. Alison Blaire was helping, too, and a small group of others who had not been as badly affected by Nate's manipulations. But Kitty had history with Meggan, and best of all, a connection to both her and Kurt.

Meggan was happy to see her, pulling her into a fierce hug. “I feel like I've been crying for two days,” Meggan said, wiping her eyes. “I don't think I'll ever be the same.”

“Meggan, I'm here for you. If I can help, if there's anything...” Kitty hugged her back.

“Maggie and Brian saved us all,” Meggan said, smiling at her daughter, perched on her hip. “I haven't left her side in days.”

“Mom's getting better,” Maggie said. “Aunt Kitty, why'd that man take people away?”

Maggie had been asking the same question of everyone. Meggan wondered if she knew they were giving her edited versions of what had really happened, of if the little girl simply hadn't gotten an answer she liked. Kitty shifted uneasily on her feet and bit her lip, trying to find an answer suitable for a tiny girl.

“I think...I think he was trying to make a good place, a safe place for mutants. He didn't do a good job though.”

“He hurt people.” Maggie nodded, agreeing with herself.

“Yes, he did.”

“Why didn't Uncle Kurt and Aunt Rachel come with you?”

“Aunt Rachel is out of town and Uncle Kurt is at the doctor's.” Kitty met Meggan's eyes, wondering if her answers were acceptable.

Maggie scrunched up her face. “Like Mommy.”

“Yes,” Kitty said. “Aren't doctors wonderful?”

Maggie yawned and put her head on Meggan's chest. “Thank you for coming over, Kitty.”

They took the stairs to the living space of the new lighthouse. Kitty had been there once before, when Maggie was even smaller than she was now, but no less precocious. She had taken an instant liking to Kurt, and Meggan remembered how gentle he'd been with the baby. Now those happy memories were tainted with the knowledge of what she'd done with Kurt. It didn't matter that she hadn't been herself. She'd still done it. She'd still forgotten her own daughter.

Meggan took Maggie to her room and laid her in the crib while Kitty waited in the doorway. The past few days, Meggan stayed in the nursery while Maggie slept, not wanting to miss even a moment. Brian often came and sat with her, patient and understanding in ways he never had been before. He'd come so far, worked so hard to be a better man. She loved him even more for how important that had become for him.

Today, Meggan reluctantly left Maggie sleeping in her crib to sit with Kitty in the living room. Brian was in the kitchen tidying up and making tea.

Meggan hardly knew what to say about anything, except what she felt. Emotions were always so strong for her, her own and others. But she was also tired of feeling her own pain.

“How are you, Kitty?”

Kitty shrugged. “I'm okay, I guess. Mostly sad and worried.”

Meggan looked toward the kitchen, where Brian was still busy. “Is Kurt okay?” she asked in a whisper.

Kitty glanced at the kitchen, too. “Honestly? I don't think so. He hasn't talked much about it. Or about anything, really.”

“Brian says he doesn't blame him, but...”

“I know.”

“I feel so...heartsick about it all. How could I do such a thing? I was going to this club...I did things I'd never do. I don't understand...”

“It wasn't you, Meggan. Me and Piotr, Jean and Bishop and Hank...it was all manipulation. Nate guessed that if there was no conflict, we'd have nothing to fight for. So he created conflict he thought he could control. You, and all the rest of us, we were never in control of ourselves. He messed with our heads, put thoughts in there that shouldn't have been there.”

“But love was illegal.”

“He wanted us to believe that love was bad, and he wanted us to fight for that belief. He wanted some of us to see it firsthand, that love cost us everything. But it didn't work, and he was wrong.”

“Why didn't I look for _Brian_?”

Kitty shifted on the couch. “He was erased from your memory.”

“But...” Meggan looked again at the kitchen, where Brian must have been done cleaning. She realized he was giving her and Kitty time to talk.

“Meggan,” Kitty took her hand in hers. “None of that stuff... _none_ of what happened was your fault. None of it. Those feelings weren't things you were suppressing. Nate manipulated everyone.”

“But what about that little girl? I thought she was mine. I believed in her so much, I was willing to risk everything for her. She wasn't even real.”

“I think that was you remembering Maggie, and trying to fit her into that world somehow.”

Meggan wiped at the tears in her eyes. “I feel like such a liar. A cheater. I _cheated_ on Brian.”

“No, no you didn't, Meggan, no more than Brian did when Sat-Yr-9 held him prisoner, remember?”

Meggan nodded. “But Brian couldn't get pregnant. What if I'm pregnant?”

“Could...you be?” Kitty said.

“It's possible. It was a world without—well, supposed to be without love or sex. So, no birth control. Moira is coming over later, to talk to us. Will you stay? With you here, everything feels a little more normal.”

“Sure. Of course. I'd love to spend some more time with my goddaughter, too.” Kitty smiled, though her eyes were filled with tears, too.

  
  


A few hours later, Moira and the counselor arrived at the lighthouse. Moira introduced Dr. Kessler, a colleague of hers who worked locally. Brian and Meggan could continue to see her after the day's initial session.

While Dr. Kessler spoke to Meggan, Moira pulled Brian aside.

“Kurt has agreed to your request. You're sure about this?” Moira said.

“I'm sure. I don't blame anyone but Nate for anything that happened.”

“And Meggan? She agrees?”

“We talked about it at length. We both want to meet with Kurt. He should have some input if Meggan is pregnant.” Brian sighed. “It isn't easy, Moira. None of it's easy, but Meggan bears the brunt of it, and she is my first concern.”

“And?”

“I know my history with Kurt isn't the best, and this...it feels like someone slapped me in the face. But I also know Kurt is a victim, too. I don't believe he would have done this if he'd been operating under his own free will.”

Moira seemed satisfied. “I'll be back in an hour with Kurt then.”

Brian joined Meggan on the couch, and Kitty took Maggie into her room to play. Meggan was reluctant to let her go, but Brian encouraged her. The counselor did, too, reminding her that clinging to Maggie wouldn't change anything, and during counseling sessions, it wasn't appropriate for her to be present. Meggan understood all of that, but she couldn't help being afraid.

Brian liked Dr. Kessler. She was smart and understanding, and he could see Meggan listening intently. By the time Moira arrived with Kurt, Meggan seemed to have some hope again.

“Let's break for a few minutes while Dr. MacTaggert and Mr. Wagner get situated,” Dr. Kessler suggested. Brian offered to make her tea or coffee, and he had a tray of cookies and fruit prepared.

Kitty and Maggie joined them for snacks, and Kitty took her downstairs to answer the door. Someone had told Maggie her uncle was coming over, and she'd been asking for him for the last hour. Meggan wanted to take Maggie back in her arms, but Dr. Kessler was talking to her, and she let Kitty go with her instead.

When Maggie saw Kurt, she reached for him as she always did, squealing with joy. Kurt took her briefly, hugging and kissing her before passing her back to Kitty. Maggie's face fell.

“Aren't you going to play with me?” she asked, her lip quivering. Maggie, resilient as she was, had suffered too, and she didn't understand why everyone wasn't just happy.

“Of course, _schatzi_ , but first I have to talk to your parents. Have you been playing with Aunt Kitty?”

“Yes, but she's not as much fun as you are.”

“Traitor,” Kitty said, and kissed her head.

“I'm joking, Aunt Kitty.” Maggie kissed her cheek.

Conversation quieted when the group reached the top of the stairs, Moira first, then Kurt, and Kitty with Maggie in her arms. Kitty returned to Maggie's room, assuring her that when Uncle Kurt was finished talking, he'd play with her. Brian heard, and hoped Kitty wasn't getting Maggie's hopes up for nothing. Kurt looked more than uncomfortable, he looked like he was ready to teleport out any moment. Of course, if anyone could convince him to stay, it would be Kitty.

“Kurt,” Brian said, “I said this before, and I want to say it again, in front of everyone. I don't blame you. You and Meggan, neither of you are responsible for your actions. You were manipulated by a powerful man.” Brian stood in front of him, holding his hand out.

Kurt accepted it, shaking his hand as he nodded. He still said, “I'm so sorry for everything—”

“There's no need to apologize. It wasn't your fault. Or Meggan's, or anyone's. The fault is Nate Grey's, and his alone.”

Meggan clasped Brian's hand, and when he looked at her, she was smiling. It was small, just the corners of her mouth, but it was everything to him. He kissed her briefly and took a seat on the couch with her. Kurt sat across the room, near Dr. Kessler and Moira.

Dr. Kessler opened the meeting. “This meeting is to discuss the possibility of pregnancy and what that might mean.”

Brian watched Kurt shrink into himself. Meggan laid her head on Brian's arm, hiding half her face. After the doctor shared her initial thoughts, she opened the floor to the group.

“I will do whatever makes it easier for you, Meggan,” Kurt said quietly. “Whatever you and Brian decide, I'll support you.”

Meggan glanced up at Brian. “If I'm pregnant, I...I want to keep it.”

“Then we'll keep it,” Brian replied without hesitation. He touched Meggan's face gently. “We'll raise any baby you may be carrying as our own, as Maggie's sibling.” He looked across at Kurt, who still had his head down. “And Kurt can be part of the baby's life to whatever extent he wants.”

Dr. Kessler spoke up then. “And if he decides he'd like the role of father?”

“I don't,” Kurt said immediately. “I live in New York, doctor. Trying to coordinate that would be nearly impossible. Not to mention an emotional burden on everyone involved.”

“You seem very certain.”

“I am,” he replied.

Dr. Kessler looked at Meggan. “How do you feel about this?”

“Overwhelmed,” she said. “Grateful.”

“And if Kurt should change his mind? What if he decides, after the baby is born, that he wants to share custody?”

Brian watched Kurt shaking his head, but this was the same man who enjoyed making children laugh, who Maggie loved with all her heart and who, Brian was convinced, Kurt loved just as much. Would he really be able to forfeit his parental rights?”

“If Kurt wants to be part of the baby's life, then he will be,” Brian said. Meggan nodded at his side.

“It doesn't have to be a big fight,” Meggan said. “It's not a bad thing that so many people love a baby that isn't even here.”

Kurt finally looked at Meggan. “I'll contribute any way you request. Financially—”

“Kurt, we don't need money,” she said.

“Yes but—”

“We don't even know if she's pregnant,” Brian interrupted. “We won't know for at least a few weeks, right?” He glanced at the doctors. “But if she is, then the three of us will be part of that baby's life, just as we are with Maggie. We won't expect you to cut yourself out of its life.”

Kurt rubbed a hand down his face, and said nothing else.

  
  


Almost two hours later, Meggan flew outside to the grassy space beside the lighthouse where Kitty had taken Maggie to play. She swept her daughter up in her arms.

“Are you having fun with Aunt Kitty?” Meggan beamed in a way she hadn't in days.

“Yes, Mom, but I want to play with Uncle Kurt. Where is he?”

“He's upstairs darling.” She turned to Kitty. “Will you stay for dinner?”

“Sure.” Kitty cocked her head. “You look kind of happy.”

“I feel better than I have since I got back. I feel like whatever happens, we'll be okay.”

“That's wonderful, Meggan. You're sure you want me to stay for dinner?”

“Yes, I'm positive. Help us convince Kurt to stay, too. He's not himself.”

“I know. He feels responsible.”

“But we've all told him...”

“It's just how he is. I'll ask him, though.”

“He won't say no to you,” Meggan said. “And maybe that's all he needs. A friend. I have Brian. Kurt's alone.” She frowned. “Just like Nate wanted.”

“No,” Kitty said. “He isn't alone. Nate doesn't get to have that. I'll talk to him.”

“I'll talk to him, too,” Maggie said, grinning.

Kurt was pulling on his jacket when they got upstairs. Maggie wiggled and squirmed in Meggan's arms, and she finally handed her to Kurt.

“Please take her,” Meggan said. “Before she throws herself on the floor.”

“Go on, Uncle Kurt,” Brian said. “You remember who's in charge around here, don't you?

Maggie clutched his neck and hugged him hard. “Are you mad at me, Uncle Kurt?”

“Mein Gott, no, child, no. I'm sorry, I did not mean to make you think that.”

“Maggie, Uncle Kurt was feeling sad. Can you cheer him up?” Kitty said, patting the child's back, and then Kurt's.

Meggan watched, arms folded because she wanted to be holding her daughter, but this was important. Maggie needed this, and so she let her go. Brian put his arm around her shoulder, and Meggan leaned against him. The four of them made a little circle around Maggie, who had taken her Aunt Kitty seriously and was studiously trying to make her uncle laugh. She kept making the same face over and over, then giggling at herself. Soon the rest of them were laughing, too, even Meggan and Kurt.

Brian looked down at Meggan, watching him, not Kurt. Her eyes were so full of love and devotion his heart hurt. He didn't deserve her, or this family. He kissed her and whispered his love in her ear. Kitty phased Kurt's jacket back off and informed him he was staying for dinner. He didn't argue with her.

Dr. Kessler prepared to leave, and Moira with her. “Won't you stay for dinner?” Brian asked.

“Thank you, but I have to get back to my office,” Dr. Kessler said. “Make sure to book your weekly appointment with the front desk on Monday.”

“And I'm her ride,” Moira said, hugging Meggan and Kitty before she left.

Then it was the five of them. Only Rachel was missing, or they'd have had another real Excalibur reunion. Kitty offered to help with dinner, and she and Meggan left Kurt and Brian with Maggie in the other room. Maggie was talking non-stop, telling Kurt all about her toys and her favorite books and how she'd helped bring Mommy home. Meggan paused, looking over her shoulder, and smiled when Brian caught her eye. She suddenly felt joyous.

“We're going to be just fine,” Meggan said, more to herself than to Kitty.

Kitty raised a brow.

“Everything really is going to be okay,” she said. “I told Brian everything, and he said if I'm pregnant, we'll keep the baby and raise it as our own.”

Kitty leaned closer to her friend. “What about Kurt?”

“He agreed.”

“Really?”

“Pardon,” Kurt said as he stepped into the kitchen. “Maggie is asking for a snack.” He kept his hands in his pockets, hardly smiling.

Meggan went to the refrigerator and pulled out a yogurt. “She likes these,” she said as she handed it to Kurt. He nodded his thanks and started to leave. He paused at the door and looked back at Kitty.

“How could I do anything else, Kätzchen? I live in New York. Meggan lives here. It would not be right.”

Meggan saw the look that passed between them, the promise of another conversation later, and Kitty's hand brushing against his arm. Maybe Kurt wasn't as alone as she thought.

“See?” Meggan said, smiling cheerily again.

Over dinner, they talked about other things, for Maggie's sake. And for their own. Nothing was right yet, but everything was getting better. Brian felt whole again as he looked around the table at his friends and his family. Whatever happened, he was confident they could make it work.

  
  


Meggan's pregnancy test was negative. She took another a week later, out of worry rather than necessity, but it remained negative. The relief was overwhelming. All her tests with Moira had come back normal and healthy, and the weekly counseling with Dr. Kessler was going well. Brian had promised that they'd raise the baby together, and he had meant it, but he'd also known that it would be a daily reminder of what they'd been through. He was thankful for the reprieve.

He watched Meggan's smile as she shared the good news with Kitty, and when she hung up, he held out his hand to her. She sat beside him on the couch while Maggie played on the floor, building a block tower higher and higher. Maggie was proud and Meggan clapped for her, and Brian was content.

1Okay, but you better tell me the truth


End file.
